Colgate Defeats Bowling Green, 1-0 But Fall to UT-Martin, 7-1
By Kat Castner
(Orlando, Fla. – March 7, 2014) Brigit Ieuter pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one hit, as Colgate defeated Bowling Green, 1-0, in the opening game of the UCF Spring Fling Tournament on Friday. The win also marked the Raiders first victory of the 2014 season. Colgate also dropped a 7-1 decision to UT-Martin in the second game of the day.
Ieuter’s solid performance in the circle was her first career shutout. She also recorded two strikeouts in the contest as well.
“We had a great defensive effort in the first game,” Colgate head coach Melissa Finley said. “Brigit (Ieuter) threw a fantastic game and held them off long enough for us to score. It felt good to crack that goose egg in the win column.
“In the second game, we came out flat and spotted them too many runs to come back from. The team did a good job battling late innings but it was too little too late.”
On the day Colgate (1-6) saw Marisa Dowling go 2-for-6 with an RBI in the two games. Senior Jennifer Martin added two singles while four other Raider players registered a hit in Katie Bushee, Mariel Schlaefer, Haley Fleming, and Alex Wilson.
Fleming’s single in the bottom of the second inning was the 100th of her career and second of the season.
In game one, Colgate started its first inning by seeing Bushee reach base on a fielding error. She stole second before a Dowling ground out shifted her to third base. Unfortunately, the Raiders were unable to bring the rookie home as they left her stranded.
In the next two innings, the Raiders found themselves with runners on second base, twice, but could not string together the needed hits to bring them home.
The Falcons started the top of the sixth with a double to get a runner in scoring position. On the ensuing play, Laramie Abbruzzese hit into a sacrifice bunt, which moved Samantha McClelland, who had come in to pinch run, to third. Ieuter didn’t falter, however, forcing BGSU to line out and pop up during the next two at bats, to keep the game scoreless.
With one out in the bottom of the inning, Schlaefer earned a walk to get a Raider on base. During the next at bat, Dowling hit a double to the left field fence, to score Schlaefer from first, giving the Raiders the 1-0 advantage.
Ieuter took the circle in the top of the seventh for what would eventually be the final half inning. With one on and one out, Ieuter notched a huge strikeout before forcing the Falcons to ground out, to earn her first career shutout.
In the nightcap, UT-Martin scored four runs in the opening inning, to give them a comfortable 4-0 lead.
Colgate rallied in the bottom of the third, after Wilson singled down the right field line. Kate Zucker reached base on the next play, when Wilson was tagged out at second on a fielder’s choice. Alex Gadiano grounded out next to shift Zucker to second, before Bushee reached first thanks to a fielding error, moving Zucker again 60 feet closer to home. Coach Finley then called for a double steal, which sparked the Skyhawks to try and pick off Bushee running to second. That play allowed for Zucker to score from third, cutting into UT-Martin’s lead.
However, the Skyhawks responded in the top of the fourth with two more runs to create a five-run difference between the teams.
Colgate again tried to spark a rally in the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back singles from Dowling and Martin, but three straight outs, left the runners stranded on base.
One final run from UT-Martin in the top of the sixth ultimately secured the win for the Skyhawks.
Megan Carnase pitched one inning, allowing three hits and four runs before rookie Gillian Murray came in for relief, finishing the remaining six innings. The freshman gave up seven hits and three runs, while also striking out one during her time in the circle.
Colgate is back in action tomorrow taking on Western Carolina at 11 a.m. before facing host Central Florida at 1:30 p.m.
“I would like for us to focus on being consistent tomorrow, having that consistent energy and focus for two full games,” Finley added.